Should We Cancel Our Family Vacation Because of the Coronavirus?

In my case, there is no choice for us but to cancel. My mother is over 70 and both of us have asthma, which is one of the underlying chronic conditions that put us more at risk if we were to contract COVID-19. Also we’d planned to visit Italy, which is basically closed. I received an email from the cruise line saying that I could cancel and receive full credit to use on a cruise before December 31, 2022. The US State Department said on March 8 that US citizens should not travel by cruise ship.

For other families, it might not be that cut and dried, so I asked travel writer Lois Alter Mark for advice.

“I would probably wait it out for summer vacations but I’m sorry to say that I would advise everyone to cancel their trips for at least the next month or so,” she said. She referred to an article in The Atlantic that argued for social distancing as the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus.

One question to ask is: What is the situation like where I’m going for my vacation? A friend recently canceled her family spring break trip to look at colleges because the college campuses they planned to visit had canceled the tours. Another had said she was considering canceling plans to go to Disneyland, which was prescient as Disneyland soon after announced they were closing their California parks. Disney parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong have been closed for weeks.

For domestic travel, do some research to find out what is happening in the area you’re planning to visit. Dr. Shanthi Kappagoda, infectious disease specialist at Stanford Health Care, advised travelers to check local public health resources before you go. And “reconsider visiting areas where there are significant numbers of people under quarantine or where there have been major disruptions, such as school or office closures,” she wrote in an article in Town and Country.

As far as international travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US State Department websites have updates on travel advisories.

Can you get your money back?

This leaves families to wonder — if they do cancel their vacation, can they get their money back? In my case, no. I can’t get my money back, but I was given a credit for a future cruise. Some airlines, like Frontier and American, are waiving change fees with restrictions depending on dates of travel. And others, like Alaska Airlines, are allowing customers to cancel flights and receive a credit; Lufthansa says customers can get their money back if their flight is canceled, according to Market Watch.

Cancellation policies for hotels are on an individual basis. Marriott’s website says it’s waiving cancelation fees in some countries including Japan, South Korea, and Italy through March 31. Your best chance of getting a good outcome and possibly getting your money back is to give them a call.

“Often, calling and being nice goes a long way toward getting your refund,” Lois Alter Mark said.

What about travel insurance?

At the beginning of the outbreak, it appeared that travel insurance wouldn’t cover canceling a trip over fear of coronavirus. But some insurance carriers are now allowing coronavirus-related cancellations to be covered, according to CNN.

If you are planning to go somewhere, there is Cancel for Any Reason insurance. Speaking of planning for travel, there are a lot of travel deals right now.

Should you take advantage of travel deals during the coronavirus outbreak?

You can fly from Los Angeles to New York on Southwest later this month for $235, including taxes and two bags with no change or cancellation fees. Deals like these are very tempting, but should we go ahead and try to book travel?

“I wouldn’t take advantage of bargains now unless they’re for months from now and they’re refundable,” Alter Mark advised. “It’s very disappointing to have to cancel a trip you were looking forward to but imagine being quarantined in that place for two weeks.”